High School Predictions – Week 8

I’m still recovering from last week’s Homewood vs. Minor game. Homewood was down 13-0 in the 4th quarter, when the back-up QB throws two interceptions. All hope is lost until a 78 yard TD pass to make it 13-7 with 6 minutes left. Then Minor tries a fake punt on their own 40 to try and kill the clock, and they fail. Long story short, Homewood scores, and wins 14-13, and I about had a heart attack. Other than that, I did alright this week, missing a couple of super close games on Thursday with Mountain Brook beating Tuscaloosa County in 2OT, and Parker with a goal line stand to beat Ramsay. I feel a little better with the fact that the games I missed were all close.

Week 1: 1-4
Week 2: 7-4
Week 3: 8-3
Week 4: 9-2
Week 5: 7-4
Week 6: 5-4
Week 7: 8-4

Total: 45-25

This week will determine a lot of things. I believe the Homewood-Walker game will determine the 6A Region 5 champion. If Homewood wins, they will essentially lock up the region title. Briarwood needs a big win over Pelham to keep their playoff hopes alive. There are four teams tied at 2-2 right now fighting for only two spots, and Pelham can get a win and stay alive too. In 6A Region 6, Clay and Shades Valley will play for sole possession of first place. If Clay wins, then it could come down to Gardendale and Clay at the end of the year for that region title, or a 3-way tie.

In 7A Region 3, Oak Mountain and Mountain Brook are playing for the second place spot outright behind Hoover. Oak Mountain has been a surprise team, and if you would have told me either of these teams would be in 2nd place in this region after Week 8, I’d say you were crazy. Spain Park and Hewitt have both been disappointing, and Vestavia has kind of been as well. The Spain Park-Vestavia game could very well eliminate one of the teams from the playoffs, so it’s an important win for both programs, and if Thompson could pull a miracle out against Hewitt, the Huskies would be out too. Thompson is already out at 0-4 right now.

Some great games, so let’s pick them.

Week Eight

Walker at Homewood
Hoover at Tuscaloosa County
Spain Park at Vestavia
Hewitt-Trussville at Thompson
Clay-Chalkville at Shades Valley
Pelham at Briarwood
Minor at John Carroll
Mountain Brook at Oak Mountain
Benjamin Russell at Chelsea
Gardendale at Woodlawn

AHSAA Game of the Week

Paul Bryant at Brookwood

Brookwood used to always be the team we pointed back to whenever we wanted to make a joke about beating a team really big. When I was at Homewood, the first three games I was ever a part of were 56-7 over Walker, 48-6 over West End, and 58-6 over Brookwood, at Brookwood. Brookwood was the only team of those two that Homewood hadn’t really played before, since it was near Tuscaloosa and not Birmingham. So our first impression was that they were terrible. We started taking a back way to Alabama games on Saturdays that took us right past Brookwood High School, and I remember they used to always have signs up that talked about the band selling Boston Butts. But the way it would be worded each time was always hilarious. We then beat Brookwood 65-13 the next year at our place, and set the record for most points scored in a game. A record that stood until Homewood put up 75 on Ramsay in 2012. Not even the 2005 team, which is the only undefeated team in Homewood’s history, could put up over 56 on anyone. So my overall experience with Brookwood can be summed up in a combined score of 123-19.

Now, I don’t say all that to be mean to Brookwood. I say all of that to simply point out that Brookwood has come a long way with their football program. What was a joke of a teamwhen I was in high school, has now become a lot better in the last few years. They are 3-3 this year, and despite being at the bottom of the region, they are at least winning games. Moving up to 6A was a hard move for both them and Bryant, and I’m surprised they jumped up when things changed around. When I was playing them, they were losing to 3A and 4A teams, and were lucky to get one win a year. Now they are getting more wins, and beating teams they are supposed to.

I look forward to seeing how this game turns out on Friday. I’ll be catching the replay from Jerry Young and Aaron Daniel on the NFHS Network and you should too. However, I’ll be too busy at Homewood’s homecoming, hopefully watching them grab a 16th region title.

Posted in High School Sports